PHARMACEUTICAL  NOTES  OF  TRAVEL. 
211 
ducive  to  the  comfort  and  health  of  the  students  and  their  teach- 
ers. The  tables  were  covered  with  glazed  tiles  set  in  cement, 
believed  to  be  the  least  objectionable  covering  on  the  score  of 
cleanliness  and  durability  yet  tried  for  the  purpose. 
The  situation  of  the  two  series  of  tables  is  such  that  each 
student  has  a  certain  space  on  the  test  counter,  and  a  corres- 
ponding space  on  the  counter  for  heat  operations,  and  stand- 
ing between  them,  manipulates  upon  either  or  both  at  pleasure. 
The  fuel  used  was  of  two  kinds :  gas  conveyed  by  flexible  tubes 
to  gas  furnaces,  and  charcoal  burned  in  small  counter  furnaces. 
Each  apartment  has  an  ample  blow-pipe  table,  and  every  con- 
venience for  glass  blowing  operations,  of  which,  I  was  informed, 
the  construction  of  thermometers,  barometers  and  specific  gravity 
apparatus,  are  included  in  the  plan  of  instruction. 
Passing  from  this  suite  of  chemical  rooms  which  realized  my 
highest  ideas  of  a  perfect  laboratory  for  instruction,  I  was  con- 
ducted into  the  adjoining  botanical  garden,  which,  though  not 
nearly  as  extensive  as  the  public  gardens,  was  particularly  adapt- 
ed to  the  instruction  of  a  class  of  students  in  the  science  of 
Botany.  A  limited  number  of  plants  are  arranged  according 
to  their  several  orders,  genera  and  species,  in  beds  just  wide 
enough  to  permit  of  their  convenient  cultivation,  and  to  allow 
of  their  ready  inspection  by  the  students.  The  mode  of  label- 
ling them  is  worthy  of  mention  ;  an  upright  rod  driven  into  the 
ground  very  near  the  plant  has  a  plate  secured  to  it  at  a  suit- 
able angle,  to  be  conveniently  read  in  passing.  The  names  of 
the  genera  are  engraved  on  metal  plates,  the  specific  names  on 
porcelain  plates  which  are  secured  to  the  rod  by  wire.  M. 
Chatin,  the  Professor  of  Botany,  to  whom  I  was  honored  wTith  a 
note  of  introduction,  was  away  from  Paris  ;  he  had  accompanied 
a  class  of  students  to  Switzerland,  in  search  of  objects  of  botan- 
ical interest  and  instruction.  In  retracing  my  steps  through  the 
various  rooms  of  the  school,  it  was  my  good  fortune  to  meet 
with  the  venerable  Prof.  Guibourt,  whose  name  has  been  for 
so  many  years  prominently  connected  with  the  investigation  of 
materia  medica.  He  was  appropriately  surrounded  by  books 
and  specimens,  and  his  dignified  and  philosophic  appearance  and 
manner  were  well  calculated  to  inspire  a  stranger  with  respect. 
The  faculty  of  this  school  includes  five  Professors;  their  salaries, 
